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Chair: Matthew W. Johnson (Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine)

ROBIN CARHART-HARRIS (Imperial College London)

Robin heads the Psychedelic Research Group within the Centre for Psychiatry at Imperial College London, where he has designed a number of functional brain imaging studies with psilocybin (magic mushrooms), LSD, MDMA (ecstasy) and DMT (ayahuasca), plus a clinical trial of psilocybin for treatment resistant depression. He has over 50 published papers in peer-reviewed scientific journals; two of which were ranked in the top 100 most impactful academic articles of 2016. Robin's research has featured in major national and international media and he has given a popular TEDx talk.

Abstract: This presentation will introduce the latest thinking on the mechanisms of action of psychedelic compounds such as LSD and psilocybin. Dr. Carhart-Harris will present the results of his functional brain imaging work with compounds such as psilocybin, LSD, and DMT, and discuss what these findings tell us about how these drugs alter brain function to alter consciousness. He will also presenthis latest findings on psilocybin with psychological support for treatment resistant depression, including brain imaging findings suggesting how the treatment is working.

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the presentation, participants will be able to: (1) understand the basic pharmacology of psychedelic compounds; (2) discuss current thinking on the latest brain imaging results on psychedelics; (3) discuss the latest work on therapeutic potential of psychedelics.